Love on the Dark Side
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Childhood abuse is a generational curse. It is painfully broken by remembering the trauma and refusing to no longer live under its shame. May God bless and comfort the many children living under this insidious recurring curse. Last year there were 558,899 reported cases of child abuse in America. One case is too many.
You senselessly hurt me,
Then, demand I do not cry.
You frustrate me,
Then, unsympathetically, punish my display of anger.
You ridicule me,
Then, taunt me when I strive to win your approval.
You swear long-standing tribal love and protection,
Then, crush my small, unprotected heart with indifference.
You set impossible goals,
Then, painstakingly dismantle my ego.
You demonstrate blatant distain,
Then, draw me inside your dark, secret circle.
You demand the obscene use of my disempowered sheath,
Then, discard the confused Soul indwelling.
Who taught you how to love on the Dark Side?
Were you not once also a child,
Alone, and frightened in the whispering darkness?
Did you not once also smile, laugh and sing?
Who taught you to hide your innocence,
In the filmy guise of unrequited bravery?
A young female child cries hauntingly,
In the background of my dreams.
If children learn what they live,
Who taught you to love on the Dark Side?
Chula Fleming© 10/16 2016
Copyright © Chula Schlesinger-Fleming | Year Posted 2024
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